Mary Heilmann: Looking at Pictures

Mary Heilmann studied ceramics and poetry before moving to New York in 1968 and taking up painting. A pioneer of infusing abstract painting with influences from craft traditions and popular culture--especially rock music and California beach culture--Heilmann is one of the most important yet under-recognized artists working today. Mary Heilmann: Looking at Pictures explores the artist’s approach to abstraction from two distinct but interrelated perspectives: the formal and the personal. The autobiographical dimension of the artist’s work is clear in her pieces related to friendships, memories and places; while the formal aspect of her oeuvre is evident in her paintings of grids and squares rendered in primary colors and in works based on architectural planes.